Suspect in Spring killings collapses in court

'Maybe reality is finally setting in,' prosecutor says of murder case

By Brian Rogers and St. John Barned-Smith

Updated 10:42 pm, Friday, July 11, 2014

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is escorted by deputies for a hearing on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is escorted by deputies for a...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell appears in court on Friday,...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell appears in court on Friday,...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is wheeled from the courtroom after collapsing during a hearing on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is wheeled from the courtroom...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell appears in court on Friday,...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is wheeled from the courtroom after collapsing during a hearing on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is wheeled from the courtroom...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is wheeled from the courtroom after collapsing during a hearing on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is wheeled from the courtroom...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is wheeled from the courtroom after collapsing during a hearing on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is wheeled from the courtroom...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell appears in court on Friday,...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is escorted by deputies for a hearing on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell is escorted by deputies for a...

Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, has been charged with one count of Capital Murder (Multi). On Wednesday, July 9, 2014, Haskell traveled to a residence located on the 700 block of Leaflet Lane in North Harris County, demanding the whereabouts of his estranged wife. Posing as a parcel delivery driver, Haskell forced entry into the home, holding multiple juvenile victims at gunpoint. Haskell held the juveniles at gunpoint until additional family members returned to the home. During the incident, Haskell opened fire on the family, killing six and wounding one. Stephen and Katie Stay, along with four juvenile victims were killed during the confrontation.
Photo: Harris County Sheriff's Office

Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, has been charged with one count of Capital...

Stephen and Katie Stay, along with four juvenile victims were killed during the confrontation with Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, who has been charged with one count of Capital Murder. (Photo from Facebook page)

Stephen and Katie Stay, along with four juvenile victims were...

Stephen and Katie Stay, along with four juvenile victims were killed during the confrontation with Ronald Lee Haskell, 33, who has been charged with one count of Capital Murder.

Photo: Facebook Photo

Stephen and Katie Stay, along with four juvenile victims were...

Law enforcement officers surround a shooting suspect in his car Wednesday, July 9, 2014, in Spring. Seven people were shot, with six confirmed dead.

Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

Law enforcement officers surround a shooting suspect in his car...

Harris County Sheriffs unload the suspect wanted in the Spring area shooting deaths of six family members at the Lockwood facility, Wednesday, July 9, 2014, in Houston, as detectives wait to interview the suspect.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Harris County Sheriffs unload the suspect wanted in the Spring area...

Harris County Sheriffs unload the suspect wanted in the Spring area shooting deaths of six family members at the Lockwood facility, Wednesday, July 9, 2014, in Houston, as detectives wait to interview the suspect.
Photo: Karen Warren, Houston Chronicle

Harris County Sheriffs unload the suspect wanted in the Spring area...

A shooting suspect surrenders to law enforcement officers after 4-hour standoff on Wednesday, July 9, 2014, in Spring. The suspect is believed to have shot seven people, with a number of fatalities reported.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

A shooting suspect surrenders to law enforcement officers after...

A shooting suspect surrenders to law enforcement officers after 4-hour standoff on Wednesday, July 9, 2014, in Spring. The suspect is believed to have shot seven people, with a number of fatalities reported.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

A shooting suspect surrenders to law enforcement officers after...

A law enforcement officer rides on the back of an armored vehicle to a standoff with a shooting suspect on Wednesday, July 9, 2014, in Spring. Seven people were shot, with six confirmed dead.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

A law enforcement officer rides on the back of an armored vehicle...

A law enforcement officer gears up for a standoff with a shooting suspect following a shooting Wednesday, July 9, 2014, in Spring. Seven people were shot, with six confirmed dead.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

A law enforcement officer gears up for a standoff with a shooting...

A law enforcement officer gears up for a standoff with a shooting suspect following a shooting Wednesday, July 9, 2014, in Spring. Seven people were shot, with six confirmed dead.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Houston Chronicle

A law enforcement officer gears up for a standoff with a shooting...

A deputy is carted away from the scene of a police standoff after suffering heat exhaustion. Police were involved in a standoff after multiple people were killed in a shooting in Spring. (Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle)

A deputy is carted away from the scene of a police standoff after...

Ronald Lee Haskell surrenders to law enforcement officers after four-hour standoff in July. Haskell is accused of killing six members of a Spring family who were related to his former wife.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

Patti Beller prays Thursday outside the home in Spring where a gunman shot seven people the day before.
Photo: Cody Duty, Staff

Patti Beller prays Thursday outside the home in Spring where a...

Elvia Palacios, left, Anamari Palacios, 11, center, Viridiana Palacios, place candles on the front of a home where seven people were shot in Spring.
Photo: Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle

Elvia Palacios, left, Anamari Palacios, 11, center, Viridiana...

Patti Beller prays outside a home where seven people were shot on Wednesday in Spring.
Photo: Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle

Patti Beller prays outside a home where seven people were shot on...

Authorities have identified a relative’s 33-year-old estranged husband as the suspected gunman in a mass shooting Wednesday that left two adults and four children dead in Spring, and the lone survivor, a teen girl, in the hospital. She is credited with tipping off authorities to the suspect’s location.
Photo: Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle

Authorities have identified a relative’s 33-year-old estranged...

Authorities have identified a relative’s 33-year-old estranged husband as the suspected gunman in a mass shooting Wednesday that left two adults and four children dead in Spring, and the lone survivor, a teen girl, in the hospital. She is credited with tipping off authorities to the suspect’s location.
Photo: Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle

Authorities have identified a relative’s 33-year-old estranged...

Authorities have identified a relative’s 33-year-old estranged husband as the suspected gunman in a mass shooting Wednesday that left two adults and four children dead in Spring, and the lone survivor, a teen girl, in the hospital. She is credited with tipping off authorities to the suspect’s location.
Photo: Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle

Authorities have identified a relative’s 33-year-old estranged...

Authorities have identified a relative’s 33-year-old estranged husband as the suspected gunman in a mass shooting Wednesday that left two adults and four children dead in Spring, and the lone survivor, a teen girl, in the hospital. She is credited with tipping off authorities to the suspect’s location.
Photo: Cody Duty / Houston Chronicle

Authorities have identified a relative’s 33-year-old estranged...

Neighbors embrace as word of Wednesday's shooting spreads in their Spring neighborhood. Seven people were shot, six fatally. The lone survivor was described as a 15-year-old girl.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

Neighbors embrace as word of Wednesday's shooting spreads in their...

Flowers and candles are seen in front of the home where seven people were shot, Thursday, July 10, 2014, in Spring. The shooting took place Wednesday killing six people including four children and two adults, who were shot to death after an apparent domestic dispute.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Flowers and candles are seen in front of the home where seven...

Friends of a family of seven people who were shot walk to leave flowers and a framed photo at the home, Thursday, July 10, 2014, in Spring. The shooting took place Wednesday killing six people including four children and two adults, who were shot to death after an apparent domestic dispute.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Friends of a family of seven people who were shot walk to leave...

Friends of a family of seven people who were shot walk to leave flowers and a framed photo at the home, Thursday, July 10, 2014, in Spring. The shooting took place Wednesday killing six people including four children and two adults, who were shot to death after an apparent domestic dispute.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Friends of a family of seven people who were shot walk to leave...

Friends of a family of seven people who were shot leave flowers and a framed photo at the home, Thursday, July 10, 2014, in Spring. The shooting took place Wednesday killing six people including four children and two adults, who were shot to death after an apparent domestic dispute.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Friends of a family of seven people who were shot leave flowers and...

Elvia Palacios, left, Anamari Palacios, 11, center, Viridiana Palacios, place candles on the front of a home where seven people were shot, Thursday, July 10, 2014, in Spring. The shooting took place Wednesday killing six people including four children and two adults, who were shot to death after an apparent domestic dispute.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Elvia Palacios, left, Anamari Palacios, 11, center, Viridiana...

A framed photo, along with flowers and candles, is seen in front of the home where seven people were shot, Thursday, July 10, 2014, in Spring. The shooting took place Wednesday killing six people including four children and two adults, who were shot to death after an apparent domestic dispute.

Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

A framed photo, along with flowers and candles, is seen in front of...

Kristen Breedlove reacts after placing flowers in the front of the home where seven people were shot, Thursday, July 10, 2014, in Spring. The shooting took place Wednesday killing six people including four children and two adults, who were shot to death after an apparent domestic dispute.

Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Kristen Breedlove reacts after placing flowers in the front of the...

Kristen Breedlove places flowers in the front of the home where seven people were shot, Thursday, July 10, 2014, in Spring. The shooting took place Wednesday killing six people including four children and two adults, who were shot to death after an apparent domestic dispute.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

Kristen Breedlove places flowers in the front of the home where...

A woman, who wishes not to be named, wraps a ribbon around a tree in her front yard along Leaflet Lane after seven people were shot, Thursday, July 10, 2014, in Spring. The shooting took place Wednesday killing six people including four children and two adults, who were shot to death after an apparent domestic dispute.
Photo: Cody Duty, Houston Chronicle

A woman, who wishes not to be named, wraps a ribbon around a tree...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )
Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court on Friday, July 11, 2014, in Houston. Haskell is accused of a mass shooting that resulted in the death of six people. ( Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle )
Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in court Friday in Houston. He is accused of shooting seven people, only one of whom survived.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

Accused mass shooter Ron Lee Haskell collapses as he appears in...

Haskell is wheeled from the courtroom after collapsing during his first arraignment hearing Friday in Houston. He is being held without bail.
Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff

The day the lone survivor of a mass slaying that decimated a Spring family left the hospital, the man accused in the killings collapsed in court while listening to prosecutors outline the case against him.

Cassidy Stay, who played dead after authorities said 33-year-old Ronald Lee Haskell shot and killed her family on Wednesday, was released from Children's Memorial Hermann Hospital on Friday. The 15-year-old, who reportedly lost a finger and suffered a head wound requiring nine stitches, was expected to make a full recovery, hospital officials said.

Earlier in the day, in a Harris County courtroom, Haskell had his first arraignment hearing. As prosecutors outlined capital murder charges against him, the color drained from his face and he began to shake.

Bailiffs surrounded Haskell after he bent at the waist and put his head down in front of the judge. The bailiffs caught him as his knees buckled. A packed courtroom gallery gasped when he fell.

"Maybe reality is finally setting in," Assistant Harris County District Attorney Tammy Thomas said after the brief hearing. "This is not television, this is not fiction. He is facing his consequence."

Haskell's court-appointed attorney, Doug Durham, said he expects Haskell's mental health to play a role in his defense.

Authorities said that Haskell came to Houston searching for his ex-wife, Melannie Lyon, and went to the home of her sister, Katie Stay. There, authorities said, he killed Katie and Stephen Stay and four of their children after tying them up, shooting each in the back of the head.

Cassidy, the eldest, survived and called police once Haskell left, telling them that the gunman was heading to the home of her grandparents, located just a few miles away.

More than one warning

Someone else, however, had also apparently warned the grandparents, Mark Herman, assistant chief deputy of the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office, said Friday.

Herman said that moments after the slayings, someone called the home where Lyon was living with her parents and her children. The caller told the family something had occurred at the Stays' residence and that police were there, Herman said.

"That's how close this family came to getting killed," Herman said.

Police intercepted Haskell, taking him into custody after a short vehicle chase ended in a nearby suburban cul-de-sac and an hours-long standoff.

Haskell had been looking for Lyon, to whom he had been married until their divorce was finalized earlier this year. The marriage disintegrated just as the couple were finishing construction on their home in Utah, a family friend said.

Court records show Haskell had restraining orders or protective orders filed against him in Utah and California, as well as an arrest in Utah on an assault charge and domestic violence, the latter dismissed as part of a plea. However, whether he was legally allowed to carry a firearm remains unclear.

Outpouring of funds

The news of the shooting rocketed around the country, prompting an online fundraiser that has raised more than $170,000 from more than 3,000 people in just one day.

Aubrey Westwood, Cassidy's aunt, said in a message on the fundraiser's website (www.gofundme.com/bbh9go): "We are stunned and disgusted by the suspect's actions, but overcome with gratitude for my dear niece and everything that has gone right since the incident."

Friends and supporters of the victims and their loved ones had held or planned to hold vigils and fundraisers in places like Utah, Connecticut and Texas. Lemm Elementary School, which some of the Stays' children attended, was planning a memorial ceremony Saturday, according to its website. A community vigil is scheduled for next week in Forest Oaks Park in Spring.

Back in the courtoom, prosecutor Thomas gave further details about the attack, which he said began when Haskell knocked on the Stays' front door wearing a FedEx shirt, carrying a small package and asking Cassidy if her parents were home.

When she said they were away, Haskell left, Thomas said, but returned a short time later and knocked again. After Cassidy Stay said her parents still had not arrived home, she offered to take down his name and number. The teen told authorities she turned around to get a pen and paper and heard the door close behind her with Haskell inside.

The prosecutor said Haskell then told the teen who he was, and she had a visible reaction.

"The beard was somewhat of a disguise," Thomas said. "She didn't recognize him until he said his name."

May plead insanity

After Haskell collapsed in court, the prosecutor continued speaking, but Haskell fell again. State District Judge Mark Kent Ellis ordered that he be taken out of court. He was put in a wheelchair and taken to a holding cell.

Durham, the defense attorney, said he is researching a pleading of not guilty by reason of insanity.

"Our state and national laws say that a person suffering from a severe mental illness is not criminally responsible if they can't distinguish right from wrong," Durham said. "He has a history of mental illness."

He said he does not know what psychological disorder Haskell suffers from and declined to name his client's medications.

Thomas and other law enforcement officials seemed shaken by the scale of the tragedy.

"On Tuesday I came to work, I've been around here a long time and I'd thought I'd seen it all when it came to criminal violence," Thomas said. "On Wednesday night, I realized I needed to re-think that."

Prosecutors said the decision on whether to seek the death penalty in the capital case would be made in the coming weeks by District Attorney Devon Anderson.